Vertically suspendable mount tube

ABSTRACT

The difficult tasks of spreading the bead portions of pneumatic tire casings to mount the casings on rims, insert inner tubes, etc. are facilitated through use of a ringlike inflatable elastomeric diaphragm adapted to forcibly engage the periphery of the tire. Such a diaphragm is more conveniently operated while positioned along a vertical axis. For additional convenience and efficiency, it is desirable to suspend such diaphragm from overhead, for easy movement downwardly to an operating position, and upwardly to a storage position. In order to structurally adapt these diaphragms for vertical suspension, support means are built into or made a structural part of the diaphragm. The support means are preferably a plurality of spaced support loops disposed about the periphery of the diaphragm and anchored within the outer wall thereof.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Irvin E. Middleton, Jr.

- Akron, Ohio [21] Appl. No. 32,798 [22] Filed Apr. 29, 1970 [45]Patented Aug. 17, 1971 [73] Assignee The General Tire & Rubber Company[54] VERTICALLY SUSPENDABLE MOUNT TUBE 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

52 U.S. ci 15711.21 [51] Int. Cl B60c 25/12 [50] Field ofSearch 157/121;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,712,339 7/1955 Hurt.152/350 2,766,006 10/1956 Kraft l57/l.2l X 2,873,796 2/1959 Riley..-157/121 3,343,583 9/1967 Plunk ABSTRACT: The difficult tasks ofspreading the bead portions of pneumatic tire casings to mount thecasings on rims, insert inner tubes, etc. are facilitated through use ofa ringlike inflatable 'elastomeric diaphragm adapted to forcibly engagethe periphery of the tire. Such a diaphragm is more convenientlyoperated while positioned along a vertical axis. For additionalconvenience and efficiency, it is desirable to suspend such diaphragmfrom overhead, for easy movement downwardly to an operating position,and upwardly to a storage position. In order to structurally adapt thesediaphragms for vertical suspension, support means are built into or madea structural part of the diaphragm. The support means are preferably aplurality of spaced support loops disposed about the periphery of thediaphragm and anchored within the outer wall thereof.

PATENTED AUG] 7 |97i INVEN'IOR, IRVIN E, MIDDLETON. JR.

ATTORNEY VERTICALLY SUSPENDABLE MOUNT TUBE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTHe invention relates to a diaphragm bead spreader or mount tube of thetype described in US. Pat. No. 2,766,006 and US. Pat. application, Ser.No. 873,876 filed Nov. 4, 1969, both assigned to the present assignee,and in particular, relates to improvements in such diaphragms.

Articles of the type described in the aforementioned patent andapplication are generally in the form of an inflatable ringlike tubularmember having a radially inner, flexible or extensible wall and aradially outer, substantially inextensible or restrained wall. Inoperation, the tubular member is placed around the tread area of apneumatic tire casing with the radially inner wall thereof adjacent thetread portion, and inflated. Upon inflation the radially inner wall ofthe mount tube engages the tread of the casing and further inflationcoupled with further extension of the radially inner wall of the mounttube forces the tire casing to spread in an axial direction. Thesetubular members are particularly useful in facilitating seating the beadportions of a tubeless tire on a rim. Continued use of these tubularmembers for such purposes has resulted in such members being frequentlyreferred to as mount tubes."

Mount tubes may be of several designs. For example, in theaforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,006 two general types of mount tubesare disclosed. There is the type which can be mounted on a wall andwithin which the tire casing is placed with its axis generallyhorizontal. A second, more portable, mount tube is also disclosed inwhich the tube may be placed either on the floor or on a supportextending from the floor wherein the tire casing is fitted within thetube with its axis generally in a vertical direction. Of these two typesof mount tubes the latter has appeared to have gained wider acceptanceprobably due to its versatility. Also, since an important function ofthese mount tubes is the mounting of tubeless-type tire casings on rimsthis operation is more easily performed when the tire casing is disposedwith its axis in a vertical direction.

Recent innovations have provided auxiliary equipment for use with mounttubes wherein the tubes may be vertically suspended for manipulationfrom an overhead support. In principle, these developments combine thepreferred vertical axis positioning of the tube, with easy storage ofand access to the tube itself. The vertical suspension or support of thetube is presently achieved by providing a circular metal ring in whichthe tube itself is placed, with the ring suspended by chains or othersuitable suspending means from an overhead reel. The ring and tube isthus raised and lowered with respect to a ground support holding thetire and rim about a vertical axis.

It has been found that while the convenience and efficiency of thesesuspended units are quite significant, the unit or machine'by which thetube is suspended has added substantially to the general expense or costinvolved. It has been suggested that if the metal ring within which thetube is placed could be omitted, the expense of utilizing a verticallysuspended mount tube would be substantially reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention toprovide an improved mount tube or diaphragm bead spreader of the typewhich operates upon a pneumatic tire casing having its axis disposed ina vertical direction.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mount tubesuspendible from overhead, with means for supporting said tube fromoverhead built into, or made an integral The mount tube according to thepresent invention includes, along the outer periphery thereof, aplurality of equally spaced support loops which have been cured,vulcanized or otherwise made integral with thetube itself. The basictube design is conventional, and includes a radially inner annular wallwhich will extend or flex upon inflation and an outer annular wallrestrained against any such flexure or extension. The restraint on theouter annular wall of the tube is typically provided by a restraininglayer formed of rubberized plies or cord fabric. The support loops areadded by curing or vulcanizing into the radially outer wall a pluralityof strips of rubberized cords which have been looped along the centerthereof. The-strips are composed of at least two cords embedded inelastomeric material and are preferably nylon or metallic.

PREFERRED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a representation of amount tube constructed ac cording to the present invention as it mightappear suspended, with certain parts of the suspension system beingomitted.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged radial cross-sectional view through the walls of aportion of the'mount tube taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1. I

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2, and inparticular, the upper or supported end of FIG..2. V

FIG. 4 is a view taken along the lines 4-4 in FIG. 2 with certainportions shown in section and omitted.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modification according tothe present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I In FIG. 1, a diaphragm spreaderor mount tube 10 is illustrated as suspended on a plurality of chainlikemembers 2 each connected to a support loop 20 provided on the mount tube10. The mount tube 10 includes a radially inner flexible or extensiblesurface 11 and a radially outer inextensible or restrained surface 12.The diaphragm 10 has an annular or ringlike contour and is made in arange of sizes with the inner diameter being such in a selected sizethat the mount tube will fit about the surface of a selected range oftire sizes.

Referring to FIG. 2 the mount tube 10 includes amain core or body memberwhich is an elastomeric tube or bladder 30, defining an airtight innercavity 32. A valve fitting 40 registers with cavity 32 through theradially outer wall 33 of the tube 30. The mount tube 10 is inflatedthrough valve fitting 40. However, only the inner surface 11, a majorportion of which is the surface of the inner wall 35 of tube 30 extendsupon inflation. Tube or bladder 30 is made of a typical elastomericcomposition with air retention properties such as those compositionsused in tire inner tubes and the like. The respective thicknesses ofouter wall 33 and inner wall 35 are parameters dependent upon situationsin which the tube 10 is used. The inner and outer walls 35 and 33respectively are shown to be of equal thickness, however, they may be ofdifferent thickness if desired.

The radially outer surface or wall 12 of the tube 10 includes the outerwall 33 of tube 30 and a restraining layer or band 31 composed of a pairof cord reinforced elastomeric plies 14 and 16. The plies l4 and I6coextend annularly with the outer wall 33 of the tube 30. The outer ply14 is shown to be slightly wider than the inner ply 16 with both pliesextending around the marginal edges or corners 34 of the tube 30 andterminating inwardly of these corners along the inner surface 11 of themount tube 10.

As seen in FIG. 3, the plies are composed of a suitable elastomericcompound 15 reinforced by spaced mutually parallel cords 17. The pliesl4 and 16 are essentially similar to the bias cut plies usedin pneumatictire carcass construction. The cords 17 may be composed of any ofthesuitable textiletype materials commonly used as tire ply cores, such ascotton, rayon, polyester, or glass. Nylon is preferably not used becauseof its tendency to shrink and flex under extreme changes in temperature.This tendency could have an adverse effect on the dimensions of the tube10, which desirably should remain substantially constant. Metal cablesor wires are also suitable material candidates for cords 17. The cords17 are preferably. disposed to lie at'an acute angle relative to thecircumferential centerline of the mount tube indicated generally as theline C in FIG. 1. Also, for purposes of balance, the cords 17 in ply 16should extend in an opposite direction relative to the direction ofcords 17 in ply 14. In other words, the cords in a given ply such as 16are to cross the cords in an adjacent ply such as 14. The constructionspecifically shows the outer layer 31 composed to two plies; however,any number of plies may be used. When using additional plies, it ispreferred that the total number of plies is an even number, again forpurposes of balance.

The inner wall 33 forming a substantial portion of the inner surface 11of the tube member 10 may be provided with a cord reinforced elastomericply asdescribed and claimed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. application,Ser. No. 873,876. Such an additional ply is normally disposed when themount tube 10 is used in connection with larger size pneumatic tires.However, for the sake of simplicity, a showing of an additional plyalong the inner surface 1 1 is omitted.

Referring to'FlG. 2, inflation fluid entering valve stem or fitting 40moves the radially inner surface 1 1 inwardly for engagement with thetread of a pneumatic tire placed within the tube 10. This action willspread the bead portions of the tire in a manner more fully explained inthe aforementioned US. Pat. No. 2,766,006 and U.S. Pat. application,Ser. No. 873,876.

The immediately foregoing description relating to the basic mount tubestructure is somewhat conventional and for purposes of the instantinvention includes the details mentioned, and in addition the detailsdescribed and suggested in the aforementioned patent and application.

According to the instant invention, the tube 10 is provided with aplurality of support loops 20 equally spaced along the upper side of andextending from the radially outer surface 12 as seen in FIG. 1.Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, each loop 20 is formed by looping thecenter portion of a strip 22 of cord reinforced ply stock, with the endportions of the strip cured or vulcanized within the radially outersurface 12 of the mount tube 10. The strip 22 is composed of typicalelastomeric or skim" compound 24 and a number of spaced substantiallymutually parallel reinforcing cords 27 and may be cut from sheets oftypical calendered ply stock of the type used in tires. In FIGS. 2 and'3the anchoring or end portions of the looped strip 22 are shown disposedbetween the interface of the radially outer wall 33 of tube 30 and theinnermost restraining ply 16. The cords 27 are preferably nylon, but mayalso be metallic cables. Thus, for purposes of this invention cords whenused to refer to members 27 of the strip 24 are to include both thetextile-type material such as nylon, and wire or metallic cables. It ispreferred that at least two cords 27 be used to form. each loop 20.- Inthe case of nylon, four cords are found highly suitable, while threemetal cables are sufficient. I

When using a strip 24 reinforced with nylon cords 27 it is preferredthat the anchoring or end portions of the strip be disposed as shown inFIG 3, e.g., between the interface of the tube'wall 33 and the innerrestraining ply 16. When the cord members of the strip 24 are wire ormetallic cables, represented as 27 in FIG. 5, it is preferred that theanchoring or end portions of the strip be disposed between the two pliesl4 and 16. This alternate disposition shown in FIG. 5 is to prevent thewires or cables 27 from tearing portions of the tube 30, as might occurin the case of wire.

The number of loops20 or looped strips 22 provided to vertically suspendthe mount tube 10 can be any number found best suited to theoperatingconditions under which the tube 10 is used. For example, if the mounttube 10 is of relatively large diameter, it might be desirable toprovide morethan four loops as is shown in FIG 1. It is preferred,however that at least threeloops be used to properly balance the tube10in its vertically suspended state. As stated previously, the loops 20are substantially equidistantly spaced about the periphery of the tube10. However, this may not be operating circumstances.

In order to properly anchor the looped strips 24 in the mount tube 10 itis preferred that the strip be inserted prior to the final cure orvulcanization of the mount tube 10. Since the looped center portion ofthe strip 22 is to extend from the wall, it is necessary that steps betaken to prevent this portion from curing together. or to the mount tubewall. One way in which this is accomplished is by first looping thestrips generally along the center portions thereof and inserting thestrips against the outer surface of radially outer wall 33 as shown inFIG. 3, or between the plies 14 and 16 as shown in FIG 5, prior to thefinal mount tube cure. Then using a proper tool such as an awl, holesmay be punched through the outer ply 14 such as indicated at 23 in FIG.4. Another tool can be used to pull the looped portion 20 outwardlythrough the restraining layer or band as generally represented in FIG.4. The loops should extend at least about 1 inch from the outer surface12 of the mount tube. The loops 20 may then be treated to prevent themfrom curing together or to the side of the mount tube. For example,Holland cloth may be put along the inside surface'28 and along theoutside surface 29 of each possible in cases of unusual loop 20 therebypreventing this curing. After covering the loops 20 with Holland cloththe entire article is cured in a conventional mold for this purpose andwhen removed from the mold the Holland cloth protection is removed.There are, of

course, other ways or steps which may be taken to prevent the curing ofthe loops to the tube such as using silicone or a sulfur cure butylcement on the looped portion 20 of each strip 22.

It is stated above that the reinforcing or restraining plies 14 and 16may include conventional cord-type reinforcement including wire cables.Best results are obtained when each of the restraining plies 14 and 16include glass cord reinforcement. The glass cords are strong enough tohold the tube in a substantially circular form, particularly whensuspended. While wire cables are likely to also offer this advantage,wire could add additional, and sometimes undesirable, weight. Othertextile-type reinforcing cords such as rayon or polyester, whilesuitable, tend to permit the tube to take a somewhat elliptical shapewhen suspended.

While the loops 20 are shown each formed from a separate strip 22 ofconventional ply stock, it is also possible that each loop 20 be formedout of a single more elongated strip. In other words, an annular stripof cord reinforced ply stock could be made with several equally spacedloops. The strip could then be applied-around the tube 30 and each ofthe several loops pulled through the restraining layer or band 31 asdescribed above.

While the foregoing relates to the mount tube constructed according topreferred embodiments, it is of course possible to depart from thespecific details shown by obvious modifications. For example, theparticular positioning of the loop members 20 might be changed somewhatwithout departure from the scope of the invention. Also, modification tothe structure of the mount tube 10 itself can be made by one skilled inthe art without departing from the inventive concept. Thus, theinvention as herein described is to be mea sured by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A inflatable, tubular ring of vulcanized elastomeric 2. The inventionas defined in claim 1 wherein each of said support loops comprises alooped strip of cord reinforced elastomeric material, the ends of saidstrip being disposed within said outer annular wall.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein the cord reinforcement ofsaid strip comprises at least two mutually parallel nylon cords. v

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein the cord reinforcement ofsaid strip comprises at least two mutually parallel metallic cables.

l. spaced equidistantly along the periphery of said diaphragm, each ofsaid loops a. being anchored to and b. extending from said annularrestraining layer. 6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein eachof said loops comprises a looped strip of cord reinforced elastomericmaterial, the end portions of said strip being disposed within saidannular restraining layer.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the cord reinforcement ofeach of said strips comprises at least two substantially mutuallyparallel nylon cords.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said end portions of eachof said strips are disposed between the interface of said restraininglayer and the outer surface of said radially outer annular wall of saidtube.

9. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the cord reinforcement ofeach of said strips comprises at least two sub stantially mutuallyparallel metallic cables.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein 'said end portions ofeach of said strips are disposed between two adjacent elastomeric pliesof said annular restraining layer.

1. A inflatable, tubular ring of vulcanized elastomeric material used tospread apart pneumatic tire casings comprising A. an inner, radiallymovable, annular wall for engaging the tread portion of a pneumatic tirecasing B. an outer, radially restrained, annular wall, and C. at leastthree support loops
 1. spaced equidistantly along the periphery of saidring, each of said loops a. being anchored to and b. extending from saidouter, radially restrained wall whereby said ring may be suspended fromoverhead.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein each of saidsupport loops comprises a looped strip of cord reinforced elastomericmaterial, the ends of said strip being disposed within said outerannular wall.
 2. a radially outer annular wall B. an annular restraininglayer along the outer surface of the radially outer wall of said tube,said layer comprising
 3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein thecord reinforcement of said strip comprises at least two mutuallyparallel nylon cords.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein thecord reinforcement of said strip comprises at least two mutuallyparallel metallic cables.
 5. An annular, inflatable diaphragm forforcibly engaging the tread portion of pneumatic tire casings to therebyspread said casing comprising A. an inflatable ringlike tube ofelastomeric material having
 6. The invention as defined in claim 5wherein each of said loops comprises a looped strip of cord reinforcedelastomeric material, the end portions of said strip being disposedwithin said annular restraining layer.
 7. The invention as defined inclaim 6 wherein the cord reinforcement of each of said strips comprisesat least two substantially mutually parallel nylon cords.
 8. Theinvention as defined in claim 7 wherein said end portions of each ofsaid strips are disposed between the interface of said restraining layerand the outer surface of said radially outer annular wall of said tube.9. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the cord reinforcement ofeach of said strips comprises at least two substantially mutuallyparAllel metallic cables.
 10. The invention as defined in claim 9wherein said end portions of each of said strips are disposed betweentwo adjacent elastomeric plies of said annular restraining layer.